twigLiMBS body WIP Thread [completed]

Two-part torso compared to SD oldskin torso:

Side view | Back view

Older pictures:
Picture one | Picture two

Basic wood torso was carved by otherunicorn from wood, twigling has made some alterations to allow locked posing as well as friction-posing, and also made some cosmetic changes such as thickened the neck and added more defined collar bones, hip-bones, shoulder blades, belly button and venus dimples.

Due to the patch-work reminiscent nature of the structure (three kinds of putty in different colours, plus woodgrain), I have sprayed the surface with grey primer to make it easier to see what the body looks like. This is also to help me balance the sculpt, and find small scratches and blemishes that need to be sanded out or filled.

The body measures bust 24cm, waist 18cm and hips will be 26cm with legs (though I cannot confirm this atm) Neck circumference is just under 10cm.

On request from potential buyers, I have implemented a modified version of the Aoi-Tuki torso mechanism. This is a separate piece that fits snugly inside the lower torso. For a tight fit, I have wrapped a layer of masking tape around the plug, but thin suede would do the same job in the finished product.

This piece has several shelves and grooves to allow locking into more extreme posing with the torso; notably a gentle slouch, a deep slouch and a deep arch backwards. The torso can also be posed without using the mechanism (friction posing), into a gentle arch backwards and generous tilting to either side.

In addition there is a extended slot (not pictured) at the top of the neck which allows the doll to look up and down. There is also a groove for the s-hook to rest in when there is no head on the body. The head that is modelling here has a s-hook rest inside the head as well, but when I posed it into the deep nod and the look-up angles I had trouble with the s-hook dropping out of its slot inside the head.

Whether this will work will depend on the head you intend to put on this body, and I may need to make a in-head mechanism to help hold the s-hook so that it can still slide back and forth in its slot to allow the additional flexibility.

 

Thanks Mabbit! I think the pics are almost a little creepy, but I guess the sunlight make them less suitable for a art-doll style.

Mandiiv, they are made with apoxie sculpt over a piece of conduit/pvc pipe. The pipe was just used to sculpt over so the arms would be hollow, but was a good point of reference to begin with. Just kept adding clay, letting it cure and sanding back smooth untill both arms were the same-ish shape and size. I also made some rudimentary plaster moulds from spherical objects for the joints, which has since been elaborated on.

For painting... I will either paint them with something, or I would much prefer to have them cast professionally and matched with the oldskin resin, but I will hold off on getting quotes till the legs are done.

I think a lot of people still have oldskin SD bodies for their dolls, and the complaints for these are usually the same, poor stability and limited range of motion. The stability you can sort of fix with sueding, but the range of motion would mean instrusive surgery which most people are understandably not willing to expose their dears to. I hope to be able to get these produced in a small number if there is any interest. I do see a lot of old SD torso's popping up on Y!J and I think the sculpt is really beautiful. With improved arms and legs (and maybe hands and feet) they could easily become as popular as the Pureskin bodies are.

 

Hey bats

I can give you a reference for oldskin, that's not a problem. I think the lower arms might need a core mold as well, and I guess I need to fill the limbs and slots so there are only slight indents for casting, which can be drilled out later?

I'll keep it in mind for sure!!

 

Niomi, I don't think you will be able to use just the lower legs for any other dolls. These legs will be in four parts, both the hip joint and the knee joint will be separate parts which should hopefully be very visually unobtrusive. I'm making these parts to work with oldskin SD bodies and I can'ty guarantee that they will work with any other bodies without modification. I aim to try to allow original oldskin hands and feet work with them, but personally I prefer larger hands and feet and will likely be sculpting some that probably won't fit in what currently exists in terms of footwear.

That being said; If anyone can tell me the diameter of the wristballs and ankleballs for an oldskin SD body, it will greatly advance my cause!!

Yukamina, this is my own design. I have looked at Volks SDC and DS Hound, but I don't like the way the elbows on those dolls look when they are flexed. I also looked at Ismy, who has a similar concept, except that her arms don't have the ability to *hold* the most flexed position. I tried a lot of things on paper, and this grew in my hands while i was working on it. I'd love to see what you can come up with, there is endless possibilities for experimentation with joint construction.

Batchix, the core mold in question would be maybe 20 mm long and about 10-12mm across. The walls of resin I guesstimate 3-4 mm thick. We can talk more about it when the legs are done, or nearing completion. If I am able to work on them every day it might take me between 3 and 5 weeks. So much of the design happens while I am working with them, because its hard to think on paper, just gotta sculpt and try, and sand and carve. Gotta concentrate on shape and proportion, and then I can start adding the joints...

 

Kirane, thank you very very much, this really helps. I am working on the legs now and they are soo much bigger than the arms, so they will probably take a bit longer, but they are coming along quite well

Miss_Trisha, I PM'ed you!

 

I used a pipe that was 16mm outer diameter, and 13mm inner diameter for the arms, but I haven't used pipes like this in the legs. To get the legs hollow I made skinny fabric legs and used french seams in the sides for strength. Then I tied off the bottom ends, filled the legs up with sand and tied off the top. Finally I wrapped packing tape tightly around the fabric for added stiffness, before covering with clay. When the clay was hardened, I cut through the fabric and tape, let the sand out and then pulled out the fabric and tape. I have needed to backfill the legs in places because the clay got thin when I sanded, but this could be solved by having made the inner fabric legs much skinnier in the first place. You can use the same method for heads and bodies too, I think.

I sculpted the legs and one piece, and I've just cut them at the knee the other day, but haven't started working on the knee-joint yet, as I am still perfecting the hips. Hopefully I will get lots more work done over the weekend, so I can share some new pictures soon.

 

Yes, I am going to get these cast in resin, however I doubt you'll be able to use them for other bodies than oldskin SD's without some modification. I have an Sd13 girl and I can try them on it and let you know.

 

Kiyakotari, I did a quick test, but will have to take pictures later. Looks like an SD13 girl body will accept the arms, but she will have a broader appearance in her shoulders, due to the shoulder-spheres being more round, though I guess they could be sanded back a bit if that is an issue. Maybe I will try the legs as well when they are done?

 

Niomi, I won't know untill get a quote on moldmaking and casting (which I will sort out when the legs are done), but I would like to keep the price low, so it won't feel like such a waste when taking the old arms and legs off the body. Hopefully just enough to cover the production costs, I don't intend to charge for the weeks I've spend building them, as I was doing that just for me. To keep the price down I will probably just sell them as kits, buyers will have to sand seams etc themselves.

Kiya, I also think these arms will be a touch longer. Also I just checked and the legs will not fit with the SD13 body.

I should go get to work, I have been out all day, and I am eager to get cracking!

 

I wouldn't expect anyone to commit until the product is priced and in hand but I do appreciate people piping up and letting me know they are interested, it kinda helps keep me focused on finishing the project.

I love your Juniper's body, it is so rare and beautiful. You should definitely consider getting her converted to "do the suwaricco", I have had similar thoughts about several of my dolls. You might check with Armeleia when she comes back from her holiday, if she would consider taking that job on for you. The legs I am making are quite long and I think they will end up being quite thick compared to the legs pureskin girls come with. The hip socket on the SD B01 (I guess that's what I have) is a partial spherical cavity of 45mm. The part I have made to fit in it is a 45 mm sphere which is flattened on the front so as not to stick out so much when she stands up. From the little pics of the bodytypes you linked to, it looks like B02,03 and 04's hip-sockets openings come up more towards the front than than of the B01. If you can verify that the top of Juniper's thighs are roughly sperical, and approximately 45 mm in diameter, then there is a likelyness that the legs would fit. Otherwise you could consider having the original thighs modified to accept my lower leg, and possibly the knee.

I have carved out a slot on the back of the thighs so she can bend her knees (knee will be double jointed, and the knee-joint will be hidden from view when the doll stands up) all the way and kneel or sit suwaricco style, and with the special hip-part, even pull her knees up to her chest (though not quite as her back arches back too much). I'll know more soon

 

Heh, thanks I am mostly all talk at this point, lets wait till I can string the parts together before we decide if this will actually work or not. And speaking of waiting, have you got any news on head#2/Matilda yet?

 

Armeleia has already seen this thread, and she is completely reliable. She's away at the moment (for two weeks, I think) so if she's quiet at the moment, that might be why.

 

I'm drooling too, but its because I'm eating a juicy peach!! Seriously though, I am going away early next week and won't be back till Friday, so I'm trying to get a fair bit done today and tomorrow, and should have some pictures next weekend, I hope

 

Thanks, rhii I'm glad to hear you like them!!

Work on the legs has been on hiatus, as my new kitten keeps me busy and gets in the way when I try to do work. I am also stuck on the knee-joints at the moment, will keep banging my head against the wall till I figure something out. Have pretty much decided I will sculpt feet to go with the set, but I'm not going to think about it untill I get the knees worked out.

Will post updates when I have something tangible

 

Just a quick update to say I will be posting pictures in the next few days of the legs, which are nearing completion. I'm really excited that its finally getting there, so I just had to post. Watch this space, or one right below it!!

 

Prototype leg pics in first post [external link].

 

Thankyou, thankyou!!

Keladry, I didn;t really invent any of it, rather collected the bits I liked from a few different dolls, to try to combine them into one doll.

It will probably be a little while before I have time to get them ready for quoting and molding, but I will make a list of everyone who has said they might be interested.

 

I now have an optional B04 on the way, and I have received information to suggest the arms and legs I've made will work with it too, will post pictures etc when I know.

 

Latest update:
I am still working on these, and I just got a Optional B04 torso. On first sight the arms and legs look OK with it (will take pics when I have cleaned up the legs some more) but I think the shoulder balls are too big for it, I made the purposefully bigger to get a broader shoulderspan when using the standard oldskin non-jointed SD body.

So for people like Niomi who wanted these parts for her B02, I would recommend either using the upper arms that you already have, or sanding down the shoulder balls on the arms I made, so they fit the B02/3/4 sockets better.

The legs... well the hips fit in the sockets and look good from the front, they also pose well, but the elastic holes don't really line up so the body leans forward a bit. Either I will have to make a special hip piece for these bodies, which will depend on how many people would need it; or those with B02/3/4's will have to elongate the hole in their dolls hip-sockets towards the front so the elastic lines up, and probably sand down the front of the hip-ball a bit. Still there will be a somewhat unsightly gap at the back when the doll sits. I think I can live with it.. I'm not sure what I'll be doing with my B04 yet, I will probably modify it a bit, but its not a priority at the moment.

Kiya, from memory you wanted the arms for a pureskin Sd13 girl. The legs will not fit her without modification to the hip-sockets or alternatively reshaping of the hip balls. Once I get these things cast, I can probably modify it for you (I have such a girl) before shipping for a few $$, or you can DIY.

The sets will most likely be sold as kits, meaning buyers will have to sand and deseam and whatnot themselves. This is to keep costs down. Depending on how busy I might be when the time comes, I ***may*** offer a clean-up service and sueding at an additional charge. Not promising anything, though.

 

I would love to be able to say yes to this, but I won't be able to tell you untill I am in contact with whoever will be doing the moldmaking and casting. Also please check the post above where I talk about compatability issues with the Volks optional torsos.

I will look into it and let you know when I know.